Team Fortress 2

[Consultant]

The only games that I really play continuously are WC3 and Wow. Maybe it's the Warcraft universe that attracts me, I don't know.

WC3 and Wow are not FPS.

- Bioshock
- Quake 2
- Return to Castle Wolfenstein

They are not multiplayer FPS. The fact that you don't like multiplayer FPS doesn't make FPS bad games.

Multiplayer FPS requires actual skills, because you are not going against low-IQ AI.

I love TF2. But believe me, it takes a lot of practice to get in to. People that go into TF2 and only play it for an hour then say that it's terrible just haven't given it the time that's needed to really enjoy it.

To some people that time and effort is better spent elsewhere though and I can respect that.

Especially those people who do not have the reflexes to play multiplayer FPS.

 

[sarcosis]

I would have to agree that TF2 is an acquired taste. It's something that once you find something you are good at in the game, then it start's getting better. Then you start learning the various systems and how the classes interact and that leads up to be a more enjoyable situation.

Hype Machine
As far as the hype goes, I don't think any games lives up to it's hype. That's not coming for me, but rather the total fan base. I personally don't ever uber hype up a single game. I've got too much other stuff to play to sit and wait for the single game to come out.

Valve
I find Valve to put out quality software. I like their model. They will put something out and keep supporting it. I've enjoyed pretty much everything they put out over the years. I think I have most of their catalog.

General Comments
To each his own. I have a friend who doesn't like multiplayer games and prefers single player games. We each find our own tastes Online multiplayer FPS's do have a learning curve. I've been playing them for the longest time so it's no biggie for me to pick one up and figure it out. But if you didn't grow into it, it might be a bit overwhelming or confusing.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Well, that's just the thing. I don't find that particularly fun...

That's fine. Personally I don't find fighting games all that fun. Everyone's got a niche they like, a niche they hate.

I like TF2 because I played the original TF Classic a LOT when I was younger. TF2 was supposed to be vaporware so when it actually came out, anyone who played TFC jumped on it.

 

[And1ss]

Aside from Portal, I don't really see that Valve's games, particularly the FPS, as @#@)@#!@ games. They're good, but not that good.

 

[TheAppleGeek]

For some reason, Team Fortress 2 was free to download on Steam.
I took the opportunity to get to know the game and see what all the hype was about.
Unfortunately, I don't like it all that much. And to be honest, I don't really like Half Life 2 either. Same with Portal : boring, boring, boring.

Only Left4Dead 2 is a game I'd like to play again.

For me, Valve's games don't live up to the hype.
Anyone else feel that Valve's games are overhyped ?

I used to agree that Valve was overhyped and had games that were, eh, strange. Then I was introduced to the Portal 2 trailer, then Portal. I fell in love with the company and their games.

I can easily see how someone might think this about them, but in a polite disagree - I disagree.

 

[ikir]

I never said Valve's games were crap, just that they don't live up to the hype (regardless of who creates the hype) or to my expectations.

Best single player fps i've played: Half-life 1, followed by Half-life 2.
Best coop games ever: Left 4 Dead 2, sooo many hours of fun.
I can't count how many games i've playing of Day of Defeat (since the mods days). Portal 1 and 2 are also original and awesome games.

You just don't have a clue. You can like or not a game, it is personal, but you must recognize the value of titles like Valve ones.

 

[Dr. McKay]

Especially those people who do not have the reflexes to play multiplayer FPS.

Reflexes have nothing to do with it.

 

[mac2x]

Don't forget that Valve is one of the few companies that makes GOOD ports of their games for OS X. That itself is WIN.

 

[DocNYz]

WC3 and Wow are not FPS.



They are not multiplayer FPS. The fact that you don't like multiplayer FPS doesn't make FPS bad games.

Multiplayer FPS requires actual skills, because you are not going against low-IQ AI.



Especially those people who do not have the reflexes to play multiplayer FPS.

I completely agree with everything you said above. Clearly he doesn't like games where you actually have to play against humans (FPS) or use your brain to solve puzzles (Portal).

As far as the first 15 minutes guessing whether or not you like something "always working" for you, you have no idea if it worked for you because you haven't played through a game or watched the movie. There's something called rising action that leads to the actual events in a story and the climax where the meat of the narrative and the point of the game/movie take place. If you only play/watch the introductory section you haven't played/watched the game/movie at all. I should have stopped reading your post 15 words in.

 

[ddan49]

TF2 IS one of the best FREE Mac fps out there, along with the bonus of being on Steam (community/achievement wise)

 

[0098386]

One thing I will say about TF2 I only really got into it once;
- I found a map I loved (Dustbowl and Hydro)
- People who I enjoyed playing with who I could develop strategies with
- 32 player servers. It's a freakin war.

I also find it fun to try out different classes if I get bored during a session.

 

[Dr. McKay]

I should have stopped reading your post 15 words in.

"For some reason, Team Fortress 2 was free to download on Steam.
I took the"

You're right, 15 words aren't enough to understand what my post is about...

 

[kc2kth]

For some reason, Team Fortress 2 was free to download on Steam.
I took the opportunity to get to know the game and see what all the hype was about.
Unfortunately, I don't like it all that much. And to be honest, I don't really like Half Life 2 either. Same with Portal : boring, boring, boring.

Only Left4Dead 2 is a game I'd like to play again.

For me, Valve's games don't live up to the hype.
Anyone else feel that Valve's games are overhyped ?

And I'm the opposite. I've played about 370 hours of TF2 over the past year or so, 10 hours of Portal, and only 2 hours of L4D2. I just can't get into L4D2 like I can TF2.

 

[Alaerian]

You're truly limiting yourself with your self-imposed "15 minute" rule.

The first time I played Mass Effect, I hated it. The second time, I still hated it. Both times, I barely got into gameplay before I just decided that I didn't like it.

However, I had heard the rave reviews from people and the constant hum of "You didn't like it? Are you insane?" I made myself pick it up again for a third time.

As of right now, I've completed 4 playthroughs on Mass Effect 1 and working on the third playthrough of Mass Effect 2 (damn you, Insanity!).

I did the exact same thing with Dragon Age. After I made myself play it, it turned out that my original feeling was wrong - I absolutely loved it.

 

[Killery96]

Dunno bout your experiences, but on a 2009 13" Macbook Pro with a Geforce 9400m, I was scoring 50+ FPS on lower than recommended settings, but it would constantly bog down to below 20. So, I deleted it. Because it wasn't that fun, and it ran like crap. You can get cow crap for free in some parts.

 

[Dr. McKay]

You're truly limiting yourself with your self-imposed "15 minute" rule.

I HAVE made exceptions but in the end, I didn't change my mind about the games in question.

However, I had heard the rave reviews from people and the constant hum of "You didn't like it? Are you insane?" I made myself pick it up again for a third time.

A friend of mine thinks I'm insane because I don't like Gran Turismo. I think he's equally insane for not liking Super Streetfighter 4...

 

[TheKnowledgeGuy]

Have you tried many other first-person [shooter] games before, such as Halo or even Minecraft? You may not be the best at solving or getting the sense of "testing euphoria" from playing puzzle games like Half-Life and Portal 2. Even though both are set in similar times, I do enjoy playing Portal 2 a lot more...who doesn't love velocity and velociraptors? As for Team Fortress 2, I didn't ~need~ it, but it became free before I would get it anyway, and it's great like Counter-Strike. Perhaps you might find the sandbox game Garry's Mod enjoyable?

 

[ddan49]

TF2 is the only good free fps option, besides other similar ones (see the post about free cod-like games mac, etc) that have a smaller budget and are more laggy. TF2 also has the large bonus of having voice chat (well... large bonus for some. You may get cussed out, but usually don't if you are playing with an okay server with decent people).

Other games are not free. I will admit that they are probably better than TF2, but if you have a 0$ gaming budget, TF2 is the way to go (and urban terror).

Valve is just a company that makes a LOT of games that go on Steam. Never heard of them before Steam.

 

[deadwulfe]

Valve is just a company that makes a LOT of games that go on Steam. Never heard of them before Steam.

It's the same company that started and still owns Steam...

 

[And1ss]

I didn't into playing TF2 because my computer couldn't handle it as well.

 

[FroMann]

To enjoy Team Fortress 2 your going to need to put a few hours in, this isn't your Call of Duty FPS where you run straight in with a gun and start shooting. You need to learn how the classes work, what weapon set works for you, find some good servers, how to work with a team, etc.

I have been playing Team Fortress 2 for around two years now with over 300 hours of playtime and it gets better every update.

 

[0098386]

Valve is just a company that makes a LOT of games that go on Steam. Never heard of them before Steam.

No, Valve made Half Life 1 which was fairly (very) popular before Steam. They created and manage Steam.

 

[PopinFRESH]

I agree, I think Valve's games are quite weird and like a crazy weirdo made them. I just finished downloading Team Fortress 2 and I will see how the game is later when I have the time.
I hate Half Life 2 too cause it's really boring and I don't get the part of killing monsters... And I never tried Portal cause I know it's almost the same thing.

Portal uses the same core game engine as Half-Life 2, but it is nothing like Half-Life 2. Unless you consider all first person games to be like Half-Life 2. Portal is a first person puzzle game with a fairly funny (sarcastic / dry humor) story line. I think I'd be safe to say that you seem to be disinterested in science fiction, and so these games may not be of your liking.

 

[PopinFRESH]

Maybe, like all true Mac users, I really am the proverbial square peg in a round hole. It's bizarre, because I really like FPS-games, but for some reason I don't like Portal, Half life and TF. And I'm not really into online gaming either, except that I just love Wow.
Maybe I was just feeling lonely and wanted to start a conversation with all of you guys

Hmm, define all "true" Mac users... e.g. not a gamer? What really boggles my mind is that you say these Valve games are boring, and then profess to loving WoW, which until you max out your level and really get to the endgame, is all about grinding... aka the most boring thing on earth to do... ever... So it amazes me that with your 15min rule you play WoW at all.

I can tell you that there are few games that are turning points in gaming history, that actually impact the gaming industry so profoundly that it changes the direction of the industry. In the first person world, there was wolfenstine which was kinda the first "lego block" of 3D gaming. Then there were several games that were similar (like Duke Nukem), then came Quake who worked with 3Dfx to support GLIDE (which was basically a subset of OpenGL) and that changed the thinking of what could be done in 3D games. Then everything progressed along incrementally improving graphics until Half-Life. Half-Life wasn't a major jump in graphics, but it was one of the first games that delivered a seamless immersive game that was built like an interactive movie. I remember getting Half-Life and sitting down to play it and next thing I knew it was 4am and I had been glued to my computer for over 7 hours. The story of Gorden Freeman and Black Mesa is absolutely fantastic.

Valve is a great software developer, and they make great games. The only thing I don't like that Valve is doing now is this whole "Episodic" releases of games. As for TF, as many have already pointed out it does take time to become decent at any given class and to find a few players that you work well with. TF is purely a Team based game and you will absolutely die a lot while figuring different classes out and developing a team bond with some other players. Unfortunately dying a lot is not fun, so it does take some patience. If you have never played the original HL, I would highly suggest playing it. I think you may find you will appreciate HL2 a little more after playing the first one. If not, well... I feel sorry for you To each his own as they say.

EDIT: You'll need a PC or Bootcamp your Mac for HL1 because Valve hasn't ported it to OSX yet. Also incase you guys aren't aware, there is a project that has been going on for a long time now (to the point of being vaporware) that is remaking HL1. More than what HL: Source, which was basically just re-vamping the textures & lighting. They have been re-building the levels from the ground up in the source engine. Take a look and send a few kind words to the developers (who were hoping are still working on this in their spare time) http://www.blackmesasource.com/

 

[Dr. McKay]

Hmm, define all "true" Mac users... e.g. not a gamer?

Something from before OS X. Back then, Mac users were actually the square pegs in a round hole (there were actually T-shirts around which had that printed on the front). But is has nothing to do with games...

What really boggles my mind is that you say these Valve games are boring, and then profess to loving WoW, which until you max out your level and really get to the endgame, is all about grinding... aka the most boring thing on earth to do... ever... So it amazes me that with your 15min rule you play WoW at all.

I don't know what it is, but I can just fire up Wow and run around, marvel at the scenery and listen to the music, and not get bored. I guess it's the whole environment.

And my "15 minute rule" (well, sometimes it was 30 minutes ), like I said, has never let me down. With Wow, the moment I launched the game, it put a smile on my face. If the smile's not there, then I already know how it's gonna turn out.